1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a horticultural apparatus and more particularly to a versatile apparatus which is designed and configured to perform a multiplicity of gardening tasks, such as edging, tilling, digging a trench, and the like, while utilizing a singular unit, quickly, easily, and efficiently.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Throughout the United States, more and more homeowners are maintaining their own lawns and gardens. To many, this is more of a hobby than a chore, and, at times, is a way of getting exercise and/or relieving stress while still providing a source of enjoyment. One of the many tasks involved with gardening is mowing the lawn, forming flower beds, and weeding the beds on a regular basis. For areas where the mower cannot reach, the gardener depends on a conventional edger or the like.
Edgers are well known in the art and are widely utilized by the homeowner and landscape personnel. Several types and styles exist which allow for proper trimming between a lawn and the adjacent walks, around garden beds, landscape lighting, or the like. In this configuration, the user, after edging, must gather, such as by raking, and remove the excess debris. This process is a time consuming and laborious task.
An edger device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,371 issued to Potucek, III. In this patent there is disclosed a conventional edger having a debris guard attached to an edger head. This edger head includes a flat metal blade or optionally a flexible line. The debris guard comprises two flaps fabricated from flexible material and having an overall rectangular shape. In this device, the user attaches the guard to a conventional edger for protecting the operator and/or bystanders from debris, which may propel from the blade. Though successful with flat metal blades, this device is limited in utility by providing a guard shaped, designed and configured which cannot be used with blades having U-shaped structures or the like. Additionally, the conventional edger, as disclosed, are also limited in use, by providing a blade which cannot be used for other tasks, such as tilling or having the capability of digging a trench. Thereby, disclosing a single application device which still requires the user to hoe out remaining debris, inherently providing a device which does not reduce the time necessary for properly performing the task of edging.
Another edging device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,102 issued to Morris. In this patent there is disclosed a tool, having a U-shape blade, to provide for the opened end of the U-shape to encompass a sprinkle head for trimming. In this patent, the U-shaped blade includes a transverse section and end sections perpendicular to the transverse section. A segment of each end section is bent inward to provide for an inward trailing edge and an inward leading edge. As with conventional lawnmowers, this leading edge of the edger is used for cutting while the trailing edge forms an air vane so as to create an upward movement of air as the U-shape blade rotates, inherently lifting the grass and other debris upward. In operation, as the blade rotates, the leading or sharpened edge cuts the grass while the upward movement of air created by the trailing edges ejects the grass cuttings from beneath the disclosed edger. A flaw with this design is that during rotation, each end section is constantly bombarded with particles of sand, dirt, wood, pebbles, and other debris. This will eventually dull the cutting edge as well as cut away from the blade, consequently, destroying the blade's ability to cut as well as failing to create sufficient air movement to eject the grass cuttings. The result is an accumulation of grass cuttings around the blade which can cause the edger to stall. Instead of easing the process of edging, this device can add to the time and energy needed to properly trim.
Accordingly, it is seen that none of these previous efforts provide the benefits intended with the present invention, such as providing a multi-purpose horticultural apparatus with the capability of performing several gardening tasks quickly and efficiently. Additionally, prior techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements as disclosed and claimed herein. The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior art device through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, which is simple to use, with the utilization of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, assemble, test and by employing only readily available material.